inspire-indiana Chapter 230 Chaos on the Battlefield
Chapter 230 Chaos on the Battlefield
"The devils who are exploring the way are coming."
Lieutenant Colonel Li Mingcheng raised the telescope steadily and looked at the flying dust in the distance. The two golden beans on his shoulder epaulettes sparkled in the sun.
His voice was transmitted to his subordinates through the radio, each word clear and powerful:
"Four three-wheeled motorcycles, two Type 95 light tanks, and two trucks, all loaded with Japanese soldiers."
The motorized reconnaissance battalion fell silent for a moment, but the silence only lasted for a moment before it turned into a tense and orderly mobilization.
The engines roared, and the soldiers quickly jumped onto Bobcat assault vehicles or motorcycles. Various weapons were wiped, checked, and loaded.
The lieutenant colonel's order pierced the silence like a sharp dagger:
"Quickly take out the Japanese vanguard, then charge straight into their main force. We'll fight fast and disrupt them!"
Li Mingcheng's eyes fell on the map, and his finger traced the railways and roads one by one. He knew that this was the best time for him to launch the first attack.
The enemy was still on the march and didn't know we were coming, so their defenses were weak.
The order has been issued, and the entire motorized reconnaissance battalion of nearly 2000 soldiers (reinforced battalion level, with more people) are all ready for battle.
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The march of the motorized reconnaissance battalion was not easy.
After running and bumping all the way through the motorized march, only 9 of the 13 M5A1 light tanks (the author says in the picture at the end of the chapter) of the light tank company of the motorized reconnaissance battalion were still able to be used in combat, and the remaining 4 tanks had varying degrees of mechanical failures that could not be repaired by manpower.
Following the rapidly advancing motorized reconnaissance battalion were the two main motorized infantry regiments of the 13th Motorized Brigade, and behind them were several engineering vehicles of the brigade's logistics support battalion, which were picking up the pieces as they went and continuously accommodating the lagging mechanical vehicles.
Therefore, Li Mingcheng also knew that there was no hope for the four lagging tanks in the short term.
不过即便只有剩余的9辆轻型坦克，他依旧信心满满，毕竟他还有12辆搭载着4联装M2HB 12.7mm重机枪的M16 自行防空车以及大量装备有105mm无后坐力炮和M2HB机枪的山猫突击车。
Such firepower was definitely not something that the 114th Infantry Regiment of the 18th Division, which was still on the march, could contend with.
Their heavy artillery was still hanging on the tractor and Japanese horses, and there was no time to free them.
Nine M5A1 light tanks, under the command of the company commander, soon encountered the Japanese advancing in the opposite direction on the road.
"Type 95 light tank, 12 o'clock, distance 1200 meters, one armor-piercing round ready."
The company commander's instructions were clearly given over the radio.
The M5A1 light tank was not equipped with optical ranging equipment like that used by artillery, so the distance of 1200 meters was entirely determined by the company commander based on his experience of the size of the Japanese tanks in the eyepiece.
However, the soldiers of the tank company were very convinced of the company commander's experience. After receiving the order, they turned the elevation handwheels and adjusted the scale to a distance of 1200.
Li Mingcheng, who was at the back of the queue, found a commanding height, climbed up, and nervously watched the battle that was about to break out on the road.
He raised his telescope and looked ahead on the road. The Japanese tanks on the opposite side had obviously also discovered the M5A1s on the road and began to slow down and brake, raising a cloud of dust.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
Li Mingcheng noticed that the three leading M5A1 light tanks had opened fire. The company commander chose a very good time to order the firing, just when the Japanese tanks had barely stopped moving.
However, the distance of more than 1000 meters is still a bit difficult for the 37mm anti-tank gun.
The goddess of luck did not favor the tank company. After exceeding 600 meters, the dispersion of the 37mm gun was obviously too great, and the three anti-tank shells with tracers were all missed and none of them hit the target.
In the field of view of the telescope, the two Japanese Type 9 tanks obviously did not dare to provoke the nine M5A1 tanks and began to slowly reverse and retreat.
而坦克连则气势如虹，前方9辆M5A1轻型坦克猛然提速，排成3x3的阵型在土路上一往无前的朝逃跑的鬼子坦克冲了上去。
The nearly 15-ton vehicle body was shaking violently on the rugged dirt road, but the formation remained neat and orderly. They fired as they moved forward, like ferocious birds of prey pouncing on their prey.
The road was ablaze with flames and explosions. Although the dispersion was large, the approaching trajectory still made the Japanese retreat even more hasty.
Li Mingcheng kept adjusting the telescope's field of view to observe the battlefield while he took the microphone of the walkie-talkie and gave orders:
"3rd Assault Company, immediately penetrate the left flank of the highway. Open fire with your recoilless rifles and destroy all those three-wheeled vehicles and pickup trucks of the Japanese."
The response from the other end of the walkie-talkie was accompanied by a hint of background noise from the battle, but the command was clearly conveyed.
Not far away, the engines of the 3rd Assault Company's Bobcat assault vehicles roared, and their wheels rolled over the mud on the side of the road, raising a cloud of dust and grass clippings.
The tanks equipped with recoilless rifles quickly deviated from the main road and launched an outflanking attack from the less protected flank.
"Anti-aircraft company, drive straight through the paddy fields on the right side of the road. Pay attention to the vehicle's posture. Switch to tracer armor-piercing belts. Chase the Japanese tanks and shoot them down."
After the order was given, the M16 self-propelled anti-aircraft vehicle in the paddy field slowly advanced like a giant beast in the mud. The quadruple M2HB heavy machine gun adjusted its angle, and a brilliant tongue of fire spewed out from the muzzle.
The tracer bullet dragged a bright light track and accurately swept towards the Japanese Type 95 light tank, and a burst of fire and smoke rose on the dirt road.
After hanging up the phone, Li Mingcheng suddenly heard the faint roar of an engine above his head. He quickly looked up and found a black spot approaching rapidly from the north.
The shadow of the fighter jet was passing obliquely across the ground. His face darkened and he immediately realized that the situation was not good.
"Quick, unfold the 'Hua' air identification flag. Don't let that old rogue in the sky bomb us by mistake." He yelled to the communications soldier beside him, his voice cutting through the chaotic battlefield.
Li Mingcheng knew that at this time his battalion and the Japanese regiment were both maneuvering on the road, and the slight differences in military uniform colors and tank shapes could not be completely identified by the naked eye from the sky.
It would be so unfair if the air force above us indiscriminately fired a round of rockets at us.
As a time traveler, Zhang Chi is very clear about how outrageous the White Eagle Air Force is in later generations. From World War II to the Gulf, there have been endless incidents of accidental air strikes by the Air Force. There have even been cases where the casualties of their own Air Force were greater than those of others.
Therefore, Zhang Chi not only repeatedly emphasized the importance of air defense identification, but also specially prepared air force liaison officers for all troops to be responsible for air-ground coordination.
However, the cultural knowledge and military qualities required to train a qualified air force liaison officer are far beyond the general level of ordinary soldiers, which leads to a shortage of air force liaison officers in the military.
Zhang Chi had no choice but to prepare a large number of large red flags with the Iron Blood Eighteen Stars on the outside and a large "Hua" character on the inside, to cover the troops on the roofs of their vehicles to prevent accidental bombing by the air force.
On Li Mingcheng's side, while asking the troops to raise the flag, he urged the air force liaison officer to use the radio to coordinate the planes in the sky to bomb the Japanese 114th Infantry Regiment.
The guards beside him saluted and quickly took out a bright red flag from the trunk of the vehicle, unfolded it and quickly spread it on the roof of the command vehicle.
The situation on the battlefield was chaotic, but Li Mingcheng knew that chaos was the most common situation on the battlefield. He jumped into his command vehicle first and led the remaining main infantry to chase the tank company in front.